Oly II, Oly III or Oly IIs

From looking through the forums I couldn't find any compatisons between these kits. This wound be my first build and I want somethkng that will be a strait forward build. I was also wondering what the major differences between he Oly II and the Oly IIs are. I couldn't find anything about the Oly IIs other than on the skybench website.

If I recall the Oly II uses the original airfoil. The Oly IIs uses the S3014 airfoil which is a far better airfoil than the original. The Oly III is a much larger plane using the S3014 but I think has a span of 3m or about 118" unlike the 100" Oly II and Oly IIs.

From looking through the forums I couldn't find any compatisons between these kits. This wound be my first build and I want somethkng that will be a strait forward build. I was also wondering what the major differences between he Oly II and the Oly IIs are. I couldn't find anything about the Oly IIs other than on the skybench website.

The OLYIII has a 132" wing span and is really for more advanced builders. I did a build log on one and the plane came out great. If you want to see what is involved, go to the sailplane forum and search Olympic3 kit, build log.
But I think for starters the O2 or O2s would be more straight forward. Both are very good sailplanes.

I would say if you have flown a flat bottom winged glider and are comfortable with it, then go with the IIS. It's true that faster airfoils are great when the wind starts to blow or you get into sink and want to get out of it fast. But for real beginners, I favor the flat bottomed ones. For one thing, if you use a bit too much down elevator, it will take you longer to get into trouble, and meanwhile you will notice the glider is descending faster than normal. A faster airfoil may not start to come down a lot faster until your airspeed is much higher. The Oly II airfoil acts similarly to the "Momfoil" (yes, it's really called that), see page 6 of this document: http://tfaws.nasa.gov/TFAWS08/Procee...WS-08-1034.pdf
The momfoil is probably not great for something as small as the Oly II, but it gives you the idea. You can see a similar effect in this polar for the Aquila and a couple of other airfoils:https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=398519
Note how the drag coefficient almost triples when the coefficient of lift goes from 0.4 to 0. (i.e. as the glider goes faster) It's actually a stronger effect than that if you use the actual drag, which almost triples between Cl of 0.4 and 0.2. The descent rate from drag will be more like 4 times as fast.

You mentioned that this was your first build
but you didn't say how much r/c flying experience you have in general. If you are an accomplished pilot then a rudder-steering plane shouldn't be a big deal, and you will fly any OLY with ease because they fly GOOD.

Re building: Its not that hard, buy any one you like.
Always try to go for a D-tube wing if you can. Its stiffer and carries less drag.
But if you are timid to tackle a building project (sheeting panels etc) then go with the OLY 2.
Otherwise please remember that its just balsa wood (the most forgiving material in the world). Its important to build straight and true, so take your time and be patient. There's plenty of info on the skybench site and online in general, so if you're technically inclined (can measure, gauge, fit, glue, sand, cover) then just follow stepwise instructions and go for it! If you make a mistake just break it out and fix it.

Re flying: None of the OLY line carry ailerons. They all handle somewhat the same, buy the 3 flies bigger, needs a bit more room at low level and can range further.
On the airfoil, the discerning pilot will really feel and appreciate the difference, (because most RES planes handle essentially the same). The advanced airfoil is less pitch sensitive and can be gently nudged forward to gain forward speed without loosing altitude (maintaining lift by speeding up, but without much increase in drag). This means you can range out and still come home, out scoot out of sink, or re-locate across the sky confidently because the lift is "over there".
In wind you may as well just ballast up a few ounces, its more effective.
That's my piece.
If you are new to sailplanes then avoid the big one till later. It is ultimately the most effective thermaller of them, but will be too cumbersome for a beginner.

92F - I'm in the process of building an OLY II SX at the moment and am really enjoying it. I've built quite a bit over the years, and can say that this is a great kit and is not too hard to put together at all. As someone else mentioned, slow and easy (in terms of pace and glue ) and you'll get there.

Have to admit I disagree with you on this one point. Try flying a Sagitta 600, a Spirit, a Gnome 2M, an Oly II, and a Prodigy, in succession. They all fly quite differently!

Specifically:
-Sagitta 600 needs to keep speed up just a bit or tail will wag. But if you do it right it's not annoying.
-Spirit has annoying tail wag in thermals and takes more work for the pilot when thermalling. The wag is somehow different than the Sagitta's.
-The Gnome has a tail wag which is somehow not very annoying, and is lots of fun to fly.
-The Oly II is best when slow and has very friendly, steady handling.
-The Prodigy has pretty good performance if flown perfectly. But it will try to snap roll if you have an impure thought.

I fly an AVA, but it seems to have no personality at all. It just gets the job done, but due to its long tail it is very solid and doesn't tail shake much. but I really like the OLY lll and feel like I'd enjoy it more. But they're both still RES ships, meaning they will tend to swing if steering commands aren't smoothly applied. By saying that the OLY line (and RES planes in general) will all handle essentially the same was to further address the question of differences/similarities between them compared to full house ships. RES gliders are not as precise at spot landings compared to full house either. It takes a slightly different flying style to pilot a RES plane accurately. The point was that if a pilot is a competent RE pilot (comfortable with some amount of swinging and floating) and that a RES glider is what is desired then for build-and fly then any OLY is a very good choice.